Seaside Nature Center - Lewes, Delaware

Shannon J.

Very cool place to check out & ride bikes for free!! Cool beach hiking paths & military memorabilia. Gorgeous views from the paths and look outs.

Kara

So nice and relaxing. If you aren't a resident it's $10 entrance fee for the day. Many things to do! Biking trails and bike rentals, hiking trails, basketball court, youth center, beach with a nice access, bathrooms are clean and well kept.

Jennifer S.

Such a great little place! Was a recommendation for where to take my 4 yr grandson when he came for a visit. So glad I took the advice. I don't know who enjoyed it more. Terrific tanks to view fish up close, as good as any aquarium that charges admission and all this for free!

David L.

We visited on Friday morning Labor Day weekend. We arrived around 8AM and brought our bikes to ride. We parked here and got on the loop trail and went most of the way down to Gordon's Pond trail, turned around, and came back. When we got back around 10AM, there were a ton more people here.

Not many in the visitor center itself. They do rent bikes out for free, and all you need to do is fill out a formal. There is a 2 hr maximum rental time. It's in a giant shed/garage in the parking lot, but forms are inside the visitor center.

The visitor center has a few wall exhibits and half a dozen aquariums, with each one representing different ecosystems around the ocean/bay. Lots of variety and large animals to look at. They also have a fairly large touch tank. Make sure to wash your hands before and after handling the marine life. Also, make sure to get all the soap off your hands before dipping them in. They have hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs and fish and snails you could touch.

If you walk further to the right, there is another room with seats that shows a video about the park on a loop. There are also 3 more tanks in here with snake and turtles.

There is also a gift shop with a good variety of goodies, including but not limited to appearal, pins, hiking medallions, patches, and key chains.

Right outside the front is also the seaside nature trail. We were planning to do the trail but it was very sandy. We didn't have the right shoes because we were biking the park.

You probably wouldn't need to visit it again unless you're a local and are here all the time. There are so many other things to do in this park.

Barb H. (.

The Nature Center is a great first stop when visiting Cape Henlopen State Park. The Center has an exhibit of several aquatic tanks featuring live fish, reptiles and amphibians that are native to the area. There were 2 guides answering questions and talking about live horsehoe crabs in a touch tank. There's a playground and small picnic area outside. There's also a short sandy trail to explore, but it was buggy and overgrown when we visited.

Savannah M.

Small and cute. My kids loved the touch pool which had horseshoe crabs, baby flounder and other local fish. They also had a series of other beautiful aquariums show casing local fish and habitats. Also, some wonderful staff that answered lots of great questions from kids and adults about the local wildlife. Definitely worth a visit!

Sara J.

The nature center was very informative and had some cool exhibits. Upon entering the first thing you see is the touch tank with the Horseshoe crabs. The other tanks along the back wall had a variety of fish ranging from those found in inland waters to those found in the costal waters. The gift shop had a cute selection of items, and the bathrooms were clean.

G. F.

Very fun and educational nature center located near the entrance to Cape Henlopen State Park. The Seaside Nature Center has educational videos and exhibits about the coastal environment along the Delaware Bay. There is a rich pool with horseshoe crabs, snails and other seaside creatures. There are several aquariums that detail the ecology of various water habitats found along the bay and ocean. The staff were awesome and there is a small gift shop located in the nature center as well. Bike rentals can also be located adjacent to the building.